This invention relates to a picture frame unit with a one-piece retainer for holding a picture securely in place.
Conventional picture frames usually comprise two or more rectangular main pieces. In use, a picture is placed or slid on or into one of these pieces, usually the front-facing piece. Second, one or more of the remaining pieces are placed on the first piece with the result that the picture is sandwiched within the now-assembled unit. Finally, the unit is secured into place such that, when moved or hung on a surface, the structure remains tightly together and will not allow the picture sandwiched within to move about and thereby become askew or to fall out.
Picture frame securing mechanisms come in a great variety of arrangements. Numerous picture frame units require the placing of strips or pieces of material, such as cardboard or thick paper, posterior to the picture. When the backing of the frame unit is set into place in one arrangement, rotating elements, attached to the main frame piece, are used to clamp the backing into place. This variety of securing mechanism is cumbersome and often ineffectual because of the propensity of the elements to slip out of position.
In another common type of picture frame securing mechanism, the main frame piece is constructed with an inwardly-facing lip in the back. Once the picture and any other filler pieces have been set into place within the main frame piece, objects are placed between the backing and the inside lip of the frame. These objects, which might consist of cardboard strips, spring elements, curved pieces of metal, etc., are trapped between the backing and the lip and similarly trap the backing and picture in place. These types of units are also cumbersome and can be difficult to assemble due to the number of pieces involved
Other picture frames employ a back piece which slides into slots located in the back of the main frame. As with most frames, however, this type requires a piece of cardboard or similar material to be placed between the sliding back piece and the picture. This additional layer is necessary to prevent damage to the picture from the sliding back piece and to provide some resiliency for holding the picture securely in place.
Still other methods of securing a picture within a frame are of a more permanent or semi-permanent nature. Some require staples, screws, or nails to secure the pieces of the frame unit together. These methods may damage the frame material and entail a difficult and tedious task of removal and reinsertion if one wishes to change the picture within. Other types of frames, such as those for many prints, have a backing of stiff paper, cardboard, or thin wood attached permanently to the back of the frame. This type of backing is not designed to be removed and any attempt to do so may cause irreparable damage to the frame unit.
A common thread running through the known arrangements is the difficulty of securing a picture within and/or removal of a picture from the frame unit. With many, there are an unnecessary number of pieces which, often, are easy to misplace and which may be needlessly cumbersome to install. In others, the picture is more or less permanently set within the frame unit and insertion and/or removal of the picture is difficult. Therefore, there is a need for a picture frame unit that consists of the fewest feasible number of pieces, that provides for quick and simple insertion and removal of a picture, and that holds the picture securely and safely in place.